Riverview Shop Owner Arrested In Spice Bust

RIVERVIEW, FL — The 50-year-old owner of Mary’s Beverage Castle in Riverview faces criminal charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say he sold them synthetic marijuana on two separate occasions.

According to the sheriff’s office, a search warrant was served at the 4901 U.S. 301 S. store just after 10 a.m. Jan. 19. That warrant resulted from “two undercover synthetic cannabinoid purchases from the owner of the business,” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

While conducting the warrant search, deputies say they recovered 41 packages of spice and drug paraphernalia. Hasan Kaabneh of Tampa, identified as the store’s owner by the sheriff’s office, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled suspect.

All told, deputies seized 306.2 grams of spice during the warrant search, the sheriff’s office said.

Spice contains a mix of herbs and chemicals meant to mimic the effects of other drugs, such as marijuana. Often packaged to be attractive to children, many of the ingredients used in spice production are illegal in Florida.

Photos courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office